A rare radioactive isotope stands between NASA and its next generation of deep-space exploration. Plutonium-238, the fuel ...
Space missions depend on power systems that can function far away from sunlight and without maintenance. Solar panels ...
NASA’s most ambitious deep-space missions rely on plutonium to generate power where solar energy stops being practical. But ...
Spacecraft have used a plutonium isotope to stay afloat for decades, but another isotope could last even longer.